Rohit Mahajan
AT THE WORLD CUP
London, July 13
New Zealand’s nice guys will take on England’s tough guys when the two teams fight for the big trophy in the final of the 12th World Cup here tomorrow. The last time a first-time winner emerged from the World Cup, the year was 1996, when Sri Lanka beat Australia in the final. Since then only two teams have won the World Cup — Australia (four times) and India (once, in 2011).
The scary new England threw Australia off the throne with a sound thrashing two days ago at Birmingham; it’s difficult to see just how New Zealand would stop the English juggernaut which has scored 2,942 runs at an average of 43.26 and a stunning strike rate of 6.43 an over. New Zealand’s corresponding batting numbers are significantly lower — 1,913 runs for the team at 32.42, and a scoring rate of 4.99 per over.
All-round power
New Zealand have the big names in their bowling line-up — the swing/seam specialist pair of Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult have 35 wickets between them. But England’s spectacular demolition of the Australian batting order in the semifinals was a reminder that they too have very good bowling options. Four Englishmen have taken over 10 wickets in the tournament, with the pacy and aggressive Joffra Archer leading the way with 19 wickets.
Eoin Morgan, the captain who seems set to create history for England, said his team was relaxed and ready. “We’re going to try and take in as much as we can, it’s a World Cup final and we’re not going to shy away from that,” Morgan said. “As long as anything doesn’t affect performance, we’re going to try and take it in.”
Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, was his usual self-effacing self. Asked if his team had an edge over England, he said: “We don’t really think that in particular.” He said his team would focus only on their own performance.
India have missed out on the final, but there are expectations that there will be a lot of Indians in the stands at the Lord’s ground here — many Indian fans had bought tickets for the final, often at high prices, hoping that their team would see action on July 14. That was not to be — it was to be an Antipodean clash involving two teams out to create history.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2NUchIC
via Today’s News Headlines
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